Container with removable latching device and individually releasable flaps



H. W. BRUNING CONTAINER WITH REMOVABLE LATCHING June 22, 1948. 2,443,702

DEVICE AND INDIVIDUALLY RELEASABLE FLAPS Filed July 8, 1945 i INVENTOR. Ema/1112i, jimmy? Patented June 22, 1948 rrics CONTAINER WITH REMOVABLE LATCHING DEVICE AND INDIVIDUALLY RELEASABLE FLAPg Herman W. Bruning, New York, N. Y.

Application July 8, 1946, Serial No. 81,879

(Cl. l50-7)' \Clainis. 1

This inventionrelates to article containers of the variety which are useful for personal wear. Among the objects of the invention is to provide a container having a number of compartments or pockets for segregating different articles and which can be made individually accessible by unfolding a selected one or another of a number of flaps while the other flap or flaps remain in folded or closedposition to secure the contents of the remaining compartments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container having compartments supported by a back panel and a front face comprising a plurality of flaps and a locking device constructed and arranged so that each flap may be unfolded or opened without disturbing the other and, when opened,- the' locking device remains fastened to unopened flaps and thereby secures the contents of the container underlying the unfolded flaps.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an article container wherein a locking device is common to a number of flaps and is readily removable from attachment to the various flaps for replacement at will so that a purchaser may have selection from a number of available locking devices of different qualities and designs. The cover and locking device are separately marketable. The cover may be fabricated of leather, cloth,- plastic or any other type of pliable material suitable for the purpose, and selection may be had of a suitable locking device among a variety of forms and materials such as plastics, stainless steel and precious metahfinished according to taste with colored lacquers, rhinestones, semi-precious stones, or monograms. Accordingly, the invention lends itself to serving the needs of a broad class of users.

In. a simple formthe container is polygonalshaped and provided with a back panel circumscribed by lines of fold and flaps hinged to the edges of the panel, the flaps being substantially triangular with side edges of adjacent flaps coinciding or spaced'without overlapping when the flaps are folded so that each flap ma be opened without disturbing the other. The ends of the flaps, when in folded position, provide an open space for accommodating a locking device having fastening elements for engaging fastening elements on the ends of the flaps. The back panel has walls fastened thereto and providing pockets with an opening at each side of the panel and other walls providing pockets opening at each end of the panel. The openingsof the pockets areadjacent the lines of fold and are individually covered by the respective flaps extending from the 2 adjacent lines of fold, so that only one flap need be opened to obtain access to a particular pocket. The container may be in the form of a pocketbook having a panel sufficiently large to contain paper money without folding. The invention is particularly-suitable as an accessory for a womans purse and as a container for bills, coins, calling cards, licenses, and miscellaneous materials.

Other objects, features and advantages of my improved construction of a container for articles will be apparent from the followin detailed description.

In the drawings:

Fig, 1 illustrates a container employing the principles of the invention, the flaps being open with all of the pockets accessible;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an outside View of the face of the container illustrated in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 illustrates the relationship of the looking device and the fastening elements, and showing two of the flaps in engagement with the locking-device.

The cover ill of the container may be variously shaped. The cover illustrated in Fig, 1 is polygonal-shaped and has eight edges. This may be cut from a piece of leather and lined, if desired. The edges of the cover may be turned over as shown at H, 12,13 and M and stitched or cemented down. The back panel portion i5 is outlined or circumscribed by lines of fold I6, l1, l8 and I9. These lines of fold may be made by pressure or by scoring and may be applied in such number as toperrnit smooth folding of the flaps over the edges of the walls by which the pockets are formed. In a simple form of container the pockets may be formed by three walls 20, 2i and 22. Walls 20,21 and 22 are stitched together alongone longitudinal edge as'at 23. The other longitudinal edge 23 of wall 2% and the end edges 25 and 25 of walls 28 and 2! are stitched to the back panel [5. This arrangement provides the pocket "2'1 whose opening is closable byfiap 28, and'a pocket 29 whose opening is closable by flapt fl.

Two other pockets 3i and 32 may be formed at the ends of the container by stitching 33 and 3 5 along the longitudinal edges of walls 2| and 22 and by joining Walls 2| and 22 by a transverse line of stitching 35. The openings to pockets 3! and 32 are closable by flaps 36 and 3], respectively.

For closing the container, the several flaps are folded along the lines of fold it, ll, l8 and I9, and the outer appearance of the face of the container is similar to the closed container illustrated in Fig. 3. It will be seen from this figure that the flaps constitute the entire front face of the container, with the exception of the releasable latching or locking device 38 to which each of the flaps is secured. The locking device is freely floatable and secured to the container only by the engaging elements at the ends of the flaps which join with the locking device. The locking device is preferably ornamental in character, and it is an advantage of the invention that the fastening device can be replaced at will. The locking device may have any desired geometrical form, or irregular outline with linear or curvilinear edges and that the ends of the flaps could be shaped to correspond with those portions of the locking device with which they come into contact.

The fastening elements at the end of each flap are similar and it will suffice to describe one of these. As best shown in Fig. 4, this fastening element includes a channel member 1-39 which is secured to the end of a flap. This channel member has extending therefrom a tongue 4-0 having a depressible spring element which is provided Jcith a pair of shoulders ll, 52 and a finger piece 33. The locking device 33 is formed with spaced upper lower plates i l and d5 between which the tongue 3% enters. As the tongue enters between these two plates it is flexed as shoulders ll and are engaged by ledges 4-6 and il, respectively. When the fastening elements of the flap and of the locking device are fully engaged, the shoulders ll and 52 rise behind ledges 56 and ii and n.tain the engagement secure. Finger piece it becomes a decorative part of the center piece of the locking device To open any particular flap it is necessary only that 1e finger piece be depressed sufficiently to ermit the shoulders M and '12 to be withdrawn below ledges M3 and M. It is apparent from the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings that any one or another of the flaps be disengaged from the locking device to access to a particular pocket or pockets which the trap cove-rs. In many cases it will be necessary to unfasten only one of the flaps when access is desired to be gained to a selected pocket. The remaining flaps Which are engaged with the locking device will maintain the pockets immediately thereunder in sealed condition, so that no matter how the container is handled, nothing can be displaced except from the particular pocket which has been uncovered. If it is desired to gain access to all of the pockets at one time, the locking device may be left secured to any one of the flaps.

It is apparent that additional pockets can be secured to the back panel so that two pockets opening on the same edge of the back panel can be accessible at one time by unfolding the adjacent flap, and that pockets for coins, identification cards and other materials may be secured to the interior of any one or more of the flaps. When more pockets are added more material is provided in the cover in the areas of the lines of fold it, I'd, l8 and IE] to accommodate the additional Wall material and anticipated contents so as to preserve at all times the tolerance between the closed flaps and the neat appearance of a relatively flat container regardless of the bulk of the contents.

What is claimed is:

1. An article container comprising a polygonal-shaped cover having lines of fold circumscribing its back panel portion, a flap hinged to each edge of said back panel portion along said lines of fold, each of said flaps being shaped substantially triangular with side edges of adjacent flaps substantially coinciding when the flaps are closed so that each flap may be opened Without disturbing the others, and a device for latching all of the flaps in their closed positions, said latching device having fastening elements for releasably engaging a fastening element on each of the flaps so that each flap may be individually closed and individually opened at will without disturbing an adjacent flap whereby access may be gained selectively to individual areas of said back panel portion by opening one or another of the flaps.

2. An article container comprising a polygonal-shaped cover having lines of fold circumscribing its back panel portion, a substantially triangular-shaped flap hinged to each edge of the back panel portion along said lines of fold, each of said flaps being shaped with edges providing substantially coinciding edges for adjacent flaps when the flaps are closed, said flaps, when closed, being substantially coextensive in area with the back panel portion except for an area defined by the ends of the flaps remote from the lines of fold, and a removable latching device having an area covering said last-mentioned area at the ends of the flaps and fastening elements for releasably engaging complementary fastening elements on each flap individual- 13/, said flaps and latching device together comprising the front face of the container.

3. An article container comprising a polygonal-shaped cover having lines of fold circumscribing its back panel portion, a substantially triangular-shaped flap hinged to each edge of the back panel portion along said lines of fold, each of said flaps being shaped with edges providing substantially coinciding edges for adjacent i'laps when the flaps are closed, said flaps, when closed, being substantially coextensive in area with the back panel portion except for an area defined by the ends of the flaps remote from the lines of fold, and a removable latching device having an area covering said last-mentioned area at the ends of the flaps and fastening elements for releasably engaging complementary fastening elements on each flap individually, said flaps and latching device together comprising the front face of the container With said latching device supported only by engagement with the fastenin elements at the ends of the several flaps, so that the latching device is replaceable at will.

4. An articlev container comprising a polygonal-shaped cover having lines of fold circumscribing its back panel portion, walls attached to said back panel portion and forming pockets opening adjacent said lines of fold, a substantially triangular-shaped flap hinged to each edge of said back panel portion along said lines of fold and adapted to cover the openings to said pockets, each of said flaps being shaped with edges providing substantially coincidin edges for adjacent flaps when the flaps are closed so that each flap may be opened Without disturbing an adjacent closed flap, and a device for releasably latching all of the flaps in their closed positions, said latching device having fastening elements for engaging a fastening element on each of the flaps so that access may be gained to a selected pocket by opening the flap which,

when closed, covers the opening to the selected pocket.

5. An article container comprising a rectangular back panel, a polygonal-shaped flap hinged to each edge of the back panel, each of said flaps being shaped with side edges providing substantially coinciding edges for adjacent flaps when the flaps are closed, said flaps, when closed, being substantially coextensive in area with the back panel except for an area defined by the ends of the flaps remote from their hinges, a removable latching device having an area substantially coextensive with said last-mentioned area at the ends of the flaps and fastening elements for releasably engaging complementary fastening elements on each flap individually, said flaps and removable latching device together comprising the front face of the container with said removable latching device supported only by engagement of the complementary fastening elements at the ends of the several flaps and walls forming pockets within the container which are accessible one at a time by unfastening one or another of said flaps from said removable latching device.

HERMAN WM. BRUNING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,014,104 Walsh Jan. 9, 1912 1,454,246 Malzahn May 8, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 480,707 France June 16, 1916 575,281 France Apr. 18, 1924 548,160 Germany Apr. 7, 1932 469,375 Great Britain July 23, 1937 

